Nagoya: Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin and rower Kim Dong-yong will serve as the flag bearers for South Korea at the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the national Olympic committee announced Thursday. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) stated that Shin and Kim will perform the honors at the ceremony scheduled for Saturday at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, central Japan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Shin, 22, will compete in the women's singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, and the women's team event. She and her partner, Lim Jong-hoon, are ranked world No. 1 in mixed doubles and are expected to be strong medal contenders in Nagoya, having previously secured a bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 2023 Asian Games, Shin claimed four medals, including a gold in the women's doubles.
Kim, 35, has represented South Korea for 17 years. In Nagoya, he is set to compete in the men's double sculls and the quadruple sculls events, with high hopes of securing a medal in the latter.
The KSOC also appointed veteran archer Kim Woo-jin and shooter Lee Bo-na as co-captains of the delegation. Kim, 34, is among South Korea's most decorated athletes, boasting five Olympic golds, three Asian Games golds, and 10 world titles. Lee, 45, is the oldest female athlete for South Korea at this year's Asian Games, having won two medals in trap shooting at the 2004 Athens Olympics and led her team to a gold medal in the women's double trap team event.
Although the opening ceremony is scheduled for the weekend, preliminary competitions have already commenced in sports such as football, volleyball, and basketball. The main South Korean delegation is expected to arrive in Nagoya later on Thursday. The KSOC confirmed that South Korea will participate with 1,051 athletes and officials in 41 of the 43 sports at the Asian Games.